>> the sochi games are fast approaching and the race is on to market the world's best athletes. >> it is important for us to activate pre-the olympics. >> if i do well, i will get my face on a box. >> good the race for the national championship get any more exciting? just wait for the anticipated playoffs. we are taken inside the workings of the new system. >> we proved that we could get in a room and resolve the issues. >> meet the man who put up the cash to keep the kings in sacramento. he has plans to build the franchise of the future. >> we may not have the most wins, but we have the most patents.

>> sports business moves fast, but we are faster. "sportfolio" starts right now. ♪ i am rick horrow. welcome to "sportfolio." bloomberg's inside look at the business of sports. the 2014 winter olympics are 10 weeks away and as always, a handful of athletes will come away from the games with more than just medals. they will raise their profiles and become movers in the sports and entertainment marketplace. one american hopes to become a household name. a speed skater. he sat down with pimm fox to share his compelling story. >> i fell into the boards five months before the olympic trials. i wound up putting six inches of my right blade into my thigh. i bounced off the board. i was looking at this and wondered what was going on.

i cut myself all the way to my femur bone. if you can imagine being in top shape and then all of a sudden i had to leave it up to my support system to bring me back. my family was there for me, friends, sponsors. >> 60 stitches. >> 60 stitches. it was a shark bite. >> what did you learn from vancouver? >> i was 19 going into vancouver. i was a teenager looking to have a good time. get some experience under my belt. now i can go into this game with a clear vision of what i am going there to accomplish. all of the years i have put into training and practicing onto the ice. hopefully win some gold medals. >> what is the financial pressure of being in the sport you are in?

>> it is tremendous how much we train and how much we are not able to support for ourselves. liberty mutual is stepping in and helping me to fund my goals and my dreams of being an olympian again. without that, i would not be able to do the sport at all. when the olympics are coming up, the sponsors reach out. >> do you want your face on wheaties? >> wheaties box would be awesome. i'm sponsored by them as well. if i do well, i will get my face on a box. >> my guest is from suburban seattle, the ceo of the legacy agency which represents him. welcome. it is easy to understand the marketability, but this man has an interesting back story.

>> he is a fantastic individual. he is 23 years old, but he is mature beyond his years. he spent his entire life fighting back from injury, which you have heard before. since he was a kid, he has been dedicated. he is driven, he is a winner. he has interests outside of this, such as music. he has done documentaries. he is the kind of guy you would want your daughter to have a relationship with. he is a wonderful guy. >> he can skate very quickly. resilience and persistence. if he does not succeed or dominate in sochi, he is still marketable?

>> we think he will do a terrific job, but you are right. his story translates regardless of what happens on the ice. he is an inspiration. >> the sponsors? >> he has a number of them. we have tried to craft a family- friendly environment. p&g, wheaties, smuckers, nike. we are in some financial and risk management. really interesting categories. >> it sounds like you want to hug the guy. that is a great thing. the challenge is to make it relevant for two weeks. there are such an intertwined mesh of official sponsors, individual sponsorship opportunities, the russian government may or may not make it easy for you. how do you navigate the challenge? >> it is not easy. we understand what they need to do to get the most value to their sponsors.

when we are dealing with sponsors and non-sponsors, it is important for us to activate pre the olympics. how do we reach his demographic before we get into that dark period? >> there is a dark period well after. the other challenge all olympic athletes face, how do you perpetuate their relevance? you have these athletes there regularly, but how do you keep that man and others relevant four or five years out? >> it is not easy. our folks have done a phenomenal job. two athletes we have been representing for 20 years, their longevity is something we can

learn from. we put the three of them together. dan and bonnie were good enough to provide some mentoring to jr. to be able to see how to extend that career off the ice. >> thank you. great to have you here. best of luck to jr. >> thank you. >> there will be many medals awarded, but there can only be one champion crowned in college football. the final title drive got off to a roaring start last week. there were fabulous finishes. coming up, we will talk with commissioner jim delany about the college football playoff system. it will take effect next year. the cash will flow and so will the controversy. >> i hope the country holds together under this kind of pressure. ♪

>> welcome back to "sportfolio." five college football teams remain firmly in the mix to capture the championship with conference title games setting the stage for computers to determine the ultimate matchup. this is the last year for the current system. next season a committee will select four teams. one of the primary architects of this new world order is big ten commissioner jim delany. he was a featured speaker at the sports symposium. i had the opportunity to sit down with the commissioner at harvard to discuss the development and structure of the college football playoffs. it is a template that is created with a successful basketball process. you have a few more teams and a few more dollars.

it almost feels like the jury system. you lock them in a room. figure out what to do and they come out. is that the process you want to create? >> i think so. i think the computers were widely criticized. i think data is really important. humans are more important. i have confidence the group we have put together, the 13 individuals, it is a team. they have all made big decisions under pressure. i think they will go in there and will develop a culture. they will be as transparent as they can be. and then they will have to explain. think about the job the

basketball committee does. we are not talking about -- i hope the country holds together under this kind of pressure. >> you think there will be some controversy? >> undoubtedly there will be controversy. you are going to have some success and controversy. i hope the success far outweighs the controversy. a certain amount of controversy is good, but when it overflows, it obscures what it is you are doing. you are trying to provide opportunities. >> how quickly -- >> the bcs is 15 years. we stayed with the contracts that we had. i do not expect any change.

>> we know from super bowl selection and final four selection, it is an economic engine for the communities that bid. are you comfortable with the process in place? >> we are. we had to get the game established and we did it. now there is a more broad and more robust process. we want to have traditional bowl sites involved. we want it to be a national event. it has to be distributed nationally at some level. i think it will be really successful. the question is, how successful will it be? is it something we can manage? can we keep in the right context? >> this regards revenue splits. is the tinkering and business allocation done? >> it was a great process.

the conferences got in the room, came up with a format, came up with a format to accommodate access and we also voted 12-0 on the revenue sharing. we proved that we could get in a room and resolve the issues and get on with the game. >> there are conference commissioners. it is akin to general motors and ford and others getting in a room and saying let's figure out how to deal with the auto industry. do you all get along? are there common issues that you can automatically agree on and argue over the smaller ones? how do you deal with each other? >> we are competitors. we compete with each other, but we all understand each other's challenges and problems. we work with colorful athletic directors and coaches.

we have been fortunate that we have a lot of resources. i would describe it as friendly competition. some of our relationships go back a quarter of a century. the five of us do fairly work collaboratively. we also work with the 10. we try to figure out a way to restructure the ncaa. at the same time, we are under tremendous pressure to make sure the student athlete experience is a good one and an improved one and the system is not stuck in 1975. we have these resources. we want to get something that works for ourselves. and is also inclusive. >> jim delany is one of many leaders calling for fundamental change in the overall business structure of college sports.

he will share candid thoughts on how college athletics can serve its many stakeholders. with particular attention to the interest of student athletes. this week's stumper concerns college sports. in 2013, the university of michigan led all college football in home attendance. what is the only school other than michigan to lead football attendance since 1975? the answer is straight ahead on "sportfolio." ♪

>> here is the answer to this week's stumper. other than michigan, the only university to lead the nation in attendance is the university of tennessee. the vols edged out the wolverines in 1997. the financial success of big- time football has put a strain on the traditional business model of college sports. there is no blueprint on how larger conferences should share revenues with their smaller neighbors. or to determine whether students are receiving appropriate benefits. ncaa regulations have presumed that one-size-fits-all, but the big ten commissioner does not necessarily agree.

he sees complex problems that require systemic solutions. >> how does the whole college athlete getting paid issue get resolved? >> in principle, everyone that i know throughout college sports is against pay-for-play. everyone is in agreement that we need to structure the ncaa to give us the latitude of flexibility to address certain problems. how do we make sure the student gets the cost of education? how do we address time demands? i believe that is one of the areas that has changed the most, the extent to which athletes are tied up in athletic preparation.

we need to make sure students are not exploited. how do we address that? how do we address lifetime educational benefits? if we do get the right political restructuring that would allow us to address it, if we do not do that, that is on us. i was sorry to see nfl europe go away. everybody can bring a lawsuit, that is the american way. the courts decide what they decide. while you are in the system, you ought to know what the rules are when you come in. we have work to do in that area. i like for 18- and 19-year-old young people to have a choice.

we ought to do we can to make it the best educational and athletic experience that we can. the agents oftentimes view these kids as future clients. maybe they can provide the support to train them. that is what a lot of them want. if they want to be in college, that is terrific. >> what is the biggest change you would like to effectuate? in the landscape over the next five years? >> great question. i would like to see us take real steps in the political restructuring of the ncaa to allow us to use our resources in the 21st century on behalf of the student athlete up to including the cost of education.

i would like for us to be successful in pressing it successfully. that means pressing it in courts and pressing the ncaa. there is a lot to be said about the college experience. my father experienced it, i experienced it. arne duncan has said the college athletics probably does as much to shape and build certain kinds of very positive experiences as any other organization. >> the ncaa board of directors will meet in 2014 and review governance issues. jim delany's critiques will be heard and could shape the future of this multibillion dollar industry. still plenty left on "sportfolio." find out why it is good to be the kings. >> we want to be a winning franchise.

that enhances the life of those it touches. >> get "sportfolio" wherever you go on the bloomberg tv plus app. ♪

>> next week, this man has completely revitalized the nba

franchise and he is not satisfied. hear about his plans for a brand-new arena in san francisco next week on "sportfolio." in the spring of 2013, most nba analysts thought the sacramento kings were playing out the spring. a deal was in place to sell the team and moving to seattle, but mayor kevin johnson led the effort to find investors to match the offer. cory johnson shows us how a team of tech moguls has the kings poised to achieve great things. >> it is ripe with tech team owners. there's a new ownership group for the sacramento kings. >> i think of it as a social network.

>> he is hoping it will turn around a moribund franchise. he is not going it alone. >> these are truly smart people. >> people like paul jacobs and chris kelly. >> this ownership group has the most patents. we might not have the most wins, but we have the most patents. >> chris mullin is his personal advisor. >> you have to have a lot of money to buy them. a lot of these guys are successful. they have money and they have passion. >> the kings pose a tough business problem. only 8 winning seasons. last season's attendance was the lowest in the league. one of the biggest tech titans of all tried to swoop in and buy the kings and move the team to

seattle. but a group partnered with the city of sacramento and came up with a clever real estate deal to help keep the team in california. >> i came to california with no money. everything i have i owe to the state of california. >> they make analytic software to help companies like delta airlines understand their data. >> i created a mission, you want to build a winning franchise and make the world a better place. >> it is a shot a dream team or can think. >> just what i do for my software business, integrity, hard work, openness. i have got a vision. >> that'll do it for this edition of "sportfolio." thanks to our guests.

and thank you for watching. for more video and sports business coverage, visit our website, bloomberg.com. i'm rick horrow. great to be with you. see you next time on "sportfolio." ♪

>> this week on "political capital", former secretary of state madeleine albright talks about nelson mandela and north korea. the november jobs report. margaret carlson and ramesh ponnuru debate obamacare's revival. we begin the program with the former secretary of state, dr. madeleine albright. madame secretary. >> good to be with you. >> you paid tribute to the noble statesmen, nelson mandela.